27Feb14

China ratifies national days on anti-Japanese war victory, Nanjing Massacre

China's top legislature on Thursday ratified two new national days, one to mark
victory of the war against Japanese aggression and the other to commemorate
victims in the Nanjing Massacre.

September 3 was ratified as the victory day and December 13 the national
memorial day for massacre victims, according to two decisions made at the
three-day session of the Standing Committee of the National People's
Congress which ended on Thursday.

In 1951, the Chinese government designated September 3, the next day after
the Japanese government officially signed the instrument of surrender in 1945,
as the victory day.

Japanese troops started the massacre in Nanjing on Dec. 13, 1937, killing
more than 300,000 people in the following 40-odd days of atrocities.

Lawmakers, political advisors and people from all walks of life have repeatedly
proposed setting the two dates as national days.

[Source: Xinhua, Beijing, 27Feb14]

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